“I write to you today with deep concern, a heavy heart and a resolute promise,” Schultz wrote in a letter to all Starbucks employees. “We are living in an unprecedented time, one in which we are witness to the conscience of our country, and the promise of the American Dream, being called into question.”

Trump’s executive order, issued on Friday and later blocked in part by federal judges, prohibits citizens from Muslim-majority Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya from entering the United States for at least 90 days. The order bans refugees from Syria indefinitely. The ban — which Trump has defended as not being a “Muslim ban” despite his own support for such a policy during his campaign and his explicit statements favoring Christian refugees in recent days — created chaos at airports worldwide this weekend, was been met by protests around the U.S., and criticized by a number of American lawmakers. Even people holding valid green cards allowing permanent U.S. residence have been ensnared by the edict, though top Trump administration officials said Sunday that the ban would not apply to them.

Tens of Thousands in U.S. Cities Protest Trump Immigration Order

People gather at Terminal 4 during a protest against Donald Trump's travel ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, U.S., January 29, 2017. Tens of thousands of people rallied in U.S. cities and at airports on Sunday to voice outrage over President Trump's executive order restricting entry into the country for travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations.

Demonstrators protest at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. In New York, Washington and Boston, a second wave of demonstrations followed spontaneous rallies that broke out at U.S. airports on Saturday as U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents began enforcing Trump's directive. The protests spread westward as the day progressed.

People gather to pray in baggage claim at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas. The order, which bars admission of Syrian refugees and suspends travel to the United States from Syria, Iraq, Iran and four other countries on national security grounds, has led to the detention or deportation of hundreds of people arriving at U.S. airports.

Demonstrators gather in Copley Square for the "Boston Protest Against Muslim Ban and Anti-Immigration Orders" in Boston, Massachusetts.

Zabihollah Zarepisheh of Iran celebrates after being released from being held in Terminal 4 for over 30 hours as part of Donald Trump's travel ban at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer addresses the crowd during a protest against President Donald Trump's travel ban, in New York City.

Demonstrators at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

People attend an afternoon rally in Battery Park to protest in New York City.

From left, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., speaks with a Customs and Border Patrol liaison on the phone as he along with Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., try to determine if any international travelers are detained without legal access at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Iman Alknfushe gives a thumbs up to protesters and media as she exits John F. Kennedy International airport in New York.

A man shows peace signs from a parking garage as thousands of demonstrators gather during a protest at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

Protesters hold banners during a demonstration at Portland International Airport in Portland.

United States Senator Cory Booker attends a rally to protest the executive order that President Donald Trump signed clamping down on refugee admissions and temporarily restricting travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries in New York City.

Demonstrators at Philadelphia International Airport protest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A woman greets her mother after she arrived from Dubai on Emirates Flight 203 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York on January 28, 2017.

Niloofar Radgoudarzi thanking the crowd for protesting after her father was released from custody after being detained in San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California.

Activists gather outside the U.S. Courthouse where a federal judge issued an emergency stay that temporarily blocks the U.S. government from sending people out of the country after they have landed at a U.S. airport with valid visas, in Brooklyn, New York, January 28, 2017.

Najah Alshamieh, left, from Syria, leaves Terminal D of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, after being held inside and later released with her is her daughter Mariam Yasin, second from right.

Matt Sernett holds his daughter Wade, 5, atop his shoulders, as more than 1,000 people gather at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to protest in Seattle.

New York Police officers stand guard as demonstrators gather outside of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) airport to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order blocking visitors from seven predominantly Muslim nations in New York.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, center, (D-Ga.) speaks with activists and attorneys outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta.

Marian Vayghan reacts after her uncle had been released from a detention center for deportation back to Iran as people protest at the International terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, California.

A man gives pizza to protesters chanting slogans in opposition to Trump's ban outside Terminal 4 at JFK airport in Queens, New York.

Seattle city councilwoman and socialist activist Kshama Sawant raises a fist over the crowd, as more than 1,000 people gather at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle.

Iranian green card holder Shima Behgooy, right, cries on the shoulders of her father-in-law Ahmad Behgooy, a native of Iran who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, after she was released from being held at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas.

Protestors rally during a demonstration against the Muslim immigration ban at Dulles International Airport in Sterling, VA.

Women walk by a team of volunteer lawyers in their makeshift office working to assist travelers detained as part of Donald Trump's travel ban in Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York.

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Schultz on a number of occasions last year called for more civility in the election campaign, which he once likened to a circus, and has warned employees several times that the current political environment in the U.S. would test Americans. In November, Schultz proclaimed himself “stunned” by Trump’s election win. He has rarely shied away from weighing in on political debates, trying to prompt Americans to debate race relations two years ago, and a few years earlier, asking gun owners not to bring weapons into Starbucks stores.

Schultz, who last month announced he would step down as CEO but stay on as executive chairman, said the company has been in direct contact with employees affected by the immigration ban.

Starbucks will redouble its efforts to hire people fleeing war, violence, persecution and discrimination, he said, and hire 10,000 refugees worldwide in the next five years. In the United States, those efforts would begin with workers who have served with U.S. troops as interpreters and support personnel in a number of countries.

The CEO also said Starbucks is reimbursing employees who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program (also known as the “Dreamers” program) for the fee they have to pay every other year to be part of it. DACA, enacted in 2012, gives 750,000 unauthorized immigrants who came into the U.S. as children work permits and temporary residency. Trump said he would jettison it during his campaign but appeared to soften his stance after the election, leaving the program’s future uncertain.

Starbucks will also continue to invest in Mexico, where Starbucks has 600 stores and 7,000 employees, Schultz said, expressing support for a country with which Trump has sparred over his intention to have a wall built between the two countries and make Mexico pay for it.

“We are all obligated to ensure our elected officials hear from us individually and collectively. Starbucks is doing its part,” Schultz said. He added that Starbucks wanted to serve its customers anywhere, whether “that neighborhood is in a Red State or a Blue State; a Christian country or a Muslim country; a divided nation or a united nation.”

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